June 10, 2026 05:26 PM UTC

Catholic Clergy Objects To Clever Papal Campaign Ad

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• by: Colorado Pols

I don't think I've seen an ad like this before – uses extensive footage of Pope Leo XIV warning against AI and ties it to a candidate's (CO8's Manny Rutinel) proposed AI regulations.

From a super PAC funded entirely by tech billionaire Chris Larsen, the founder of Ripple. pic.twitter.com/UUzQwISWlR

— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) June 8, 2026

With ballots arriving in mailboxes across the state this week, there are far too many TV spots running in Colorado’s many hot primary races to cover in this space. But as The Down Ballot on Substack reports, one PAC wholly funded by a tech billionaire with his own techy agenda rose above the din–literally, depending on your personal beliefs– with an ad backed by a huge $1 million buy featuring none other than Pope Leo XIV, a.k.a. The American Pope, in an ad supporting Democratic CO-08 candidate Manny Rutinel:

A deep-pocketed supporter of state Rep. Manny Rutinel in the June 30 Democratic primary for Colorado’s 8th District is turning to an unusual messenger in a new ad: Pope Leo XIV.

“I hear very troubling accounts of algorithms that can block access to healthcare, employment, and security on the basis of data tainted by prejudice and injustice,” the Chicago-born pope is shown saying in a recent speech unveiling the first major teaching of his papacy. In that document, called “Magnifica Humanitas,” or “Magnificent Humanity,” Leo warned of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence…

The spot is being aired by You Can Push Back, a super PAC that Inside Elections’ Jacob Rubashkin notes is funded solely by tech billionaire Chris Larsen. According to FEC filings, the PAC has spent just shy of $1 million to help Rutinel. It had previously spent nearly $2 million to help Assemblyman Alex Bores in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th District.

The ad gives Rep. Rutinel credit for the moves by the Colorado General Assembly to regulate decision-making artificial intelligence, which has been as readers know an arduous fight that resulted this year in a compromise weakening the original 2024 legislation sponsored by Rutinel. Rutinel still gets credit for being the original House sponsor of the ambitious 2024 bill, and that we assume is what put Rutinel on billionaire Chris Larsen’s radar.

It’s a clever ad that could prove effective in CO-08 with its large Latino and consequently higher Catholic population. But there’s one little problem that the Colorado Catholic Conference must bring to your attention:

Therein lies the risk of dragging the Catholic Church into a congressional race! We would expect this to be a public service announcement as mass this Sunday throughout the district. With that said, Catholic voters participating in a Democratic primary are certainly well aware of the conflict between church teachings on reproductive choice and pro-choice candidates they nonetheless choose to vote for, and both candidates in this race support abortion rights. A 2024 poll found that fully 6 in 10 Catholics support abortion rights despite their church’s firm position against it.

With a cool million powering this ad onto every screen in the district, objections from the pulpit will have a limited impact.

And, well, they’ve been complaining about that for as long as there have been screens.